It's the summer months and you're trying to sell your house. You're also a pet owner and outdoor temperatures are too high to leave Fido in the yard. As a cat owner, you're worried an agent showing your house will let Muffy out and then you'll never see her again.
As a dog owner myself, I understand your dilemma.
What are pet owners to do who are selling their Franklin TN home?
Here are some tips:
1. The very best thing to do is ask someone else to care for your pets while your house is for sale. Some sellers will board their pets or ask a relative, neighbor or friend to care for them. Given our current market, it may only be a week or two and your house could be under contract. Once that happens, the showings will stop and you can bring your pets home.
2. Crate your pets when you leave your home for showings. This way you don't have to worry about someone accidentally letting your pet outiside. This is especially true for cats who can dart past us so quickly. Agents don't usually have the time to search for your escaped pet.
3. Confine your pet to one room in the house when you leave; a laundry room, mudd room, garage or storage room. Be sure if you leave them in a garage, they have plenty of water.
4. Take your pets with you during showings. While appointments are usually scheduled for an hour in our area, some buyers may be in and out. Take your dog for a walk or load your cat into the car and wait down the street. When the buyers leave, you're free to enter.
5. If all else fails and you have a friendly dog or cat, let them roam the house as they usually do. This isn't the best option but it's certainly better to allow a buyer to see your house, than not.
Whatever you do, DON'T DECLINE A SHOWING BECAUSE OF YOUR PETS.
I know home sales are very brisk in the Franklin area but the longer your house sits on the market, the more difficult it becomes to sell. It may be an inconvenience for a few weeks to work around showings with pets but once your house is under contract the showings will cease.
Restricting your showings to certain hours or days because of your pets, could cost you the sale of your home. Don't do anything that would hinder that.
When you're ready to sell your Franklin TN home, contact Franklin Homes Realty LLC at (615) 495-0752. We'll do our best to get you and your pets into a new home.
Most people in my area will just take their dog for a walk during showings. It's far too hot outside during the Summer to put them in the backyard for an extended period of time. Most cat owners will just let them roam the house and besides, most cats will hide under a bed or their favorite hiding spot when strangers are in the house. 
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